August 27th, 2000, Sunday Morning
"Living your Life in the Love of the Lord"
Without the Love of God, your life's duties will grow boring
OPENING: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, KJV
It is easy to do things in life that is out of your sense of duty. We acquire food,
eat, go to work, use work money to buy stuff, come home, sleep, get up, go to work...
To many, this can become a boring and repetitive cycle.
Why do we do what we do when we do it?
- Which does a child obey his/her parents? ...Cause God said so? Because the
parents are bigger?
- Why do parents discipline their child? ...Because they're angry? Upset? It's
the traditional thing to do?
- Why does a husband/father provide for the family?
- Why does a wife/mother cook and clean--because it's their traditional role?
- ...Why does a church member come to church?
When these things are done out of the motivation of love, it makes you
not only wish to do it but you'll do/give until it hurts ... and then some.
- Children obey their parents because God says so and because they love their
parents.
- Parents thanklessly change diapers, feed you, go out and get humiliated by
other men and women at work so they can bring home a paycheck to support you. Why?
Because they love you.
If you love, you will:
- Freely give--with no limits
- Give beyond pain
- You'll try to impress (i.e., if you meet your future wife, you will want to impress
that lady)
2 Corinthians 5:14: "constraineth us" means the love
that Christ has for us. We love like He loves (if you're
saved).
- There are differing degrees/levels of love:
- You have a love for your spouse that no one else shares
- You have a love for your parents that is different from the love of your wife, yet
it is a love that no one else can share
- This love will cause you to stay with Christ when everyone else would leave you.
- It will compel you to tell others of Jesus Christ's
saving grace.
- It makes you see the world as Christ saw/sees it.
- The love of Christ constraineth us to witness--no matter if we're talked about
negatively behind our backs.
- When our pastor Byrd was saved,
he saw the world in a different light. It was tough for him to watch a football game
because then he saw the thousands of people in the stands, he saw people who were
either going to heaven or hell.
- True story: Pastor saw one man the TV camera zoomed in on in the
crowds. He was a white man wearing a huge rainbow colored afro and holding a white sign
that said, "John 3:16." (60 Minutes did an interview with this man because
of this.)
- Romans 5:5: If you're
saved in Christ, then you have the capacity
to love like Jesus Christ does.
When you're not saved, or claim
to be saved but really not, coming to church will be a drudgery; Singing in church will
be a drudgery... but when you love (with Christ's love), you'll want to do everything
that a church does--and do it happily and joyfully.
2 Corinthians 5:15:
- 1 John 5:3: How do we knowing we're loving God? Because
we obey. Just as mentioned earlier, if you love your mother/father, you'll obey them.
- John 13:15: We must not only have great love for God but
for all people here on earth if we are to be His servant
- Galatians 5:13: Love causes us to serve one another. It will
compel and constrain us to love
- Matthew 22:35-40: Proves that love is highest on God's list
of commands--that it must be for Him first, and all people second. These are the
key ingredients to Christianity
- With the love of Christ, you won't live for your children, your career,
personal desires, etc. Sure you have a full time job but that's only so you may
be sustained and survive to serve Jesus Christ
If we live our life in the Lord's love, life will not be a drudgery
If you get cut off while driving, and you find out it's your brother/sister
in Christ, you will not be upset
(It's interesting to note that the first four of the 10 Commandments are
directed to God while the last six regard how we should treat all people)
If children love their parents, they will be a joy to their parents and
obey their parents
The benchmark of a Christian is love. Love will cause us to serve Him
and each other. Love eliminates the possibility of committing so many sins
In life, you get up, go to work, buy things, eat, go to sleep, get up for
work, etc... It's an endless cycle that involves church as part of that drudgery.
Everything done is only out of a sense of duty and responsibility. Everything,
including the love for your family grows stale ... stagnant.
But put the love and living for Christ into your cycle and you'll live differently.
You should think: God loves that person next to me. He died for that person.
Therefore, I should love that person, too.
True story: When Pastor Byrd was stationed in Germany, he met a man
who never liked anyone and made sure everyone knew it. He was a master sergeant who
never spoke. Every day for four years, pastor swallowed his pride and cheerfully said,
"Good morning, sergeant!" And every reply was greeted with silence. But finally, one
day on that fourth year, pastor said, "Good morning, sergeant!" and the master sergeant
said, "Good morning By--Byrd?" and ran into his office.
...If you love, it'll make a difference.
Let us live our life with the love of God because He first loved us.
CLOSER
1 Corinthians 13:1-8: In all we do and give--our money, our
tithes,
our bodies to be burned... means nothing without the charity of love. If we put away
our pride and replace it with love, then being charitable and giving won't be a problem--
and giving with love is a credit that is accepted by God.